cDNAs were obtained for macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF)/L-dopachrome methyl ester tautomerase homologues from the parasitic nematodes Trichinella spiralis (TsMIF) and Trichuris trichiura (TtMIF). The translated sequences, which were partly confirmed by sequencing of proteolytic fragments, show 42 and 44% identity respectively with human or mouse MIF, and are shorter by one C-terminal residue. Unlike vertebrate MIF and MIF homologues of filarial nematodes, neither TsMIF nor TtMIF contain cysteine residues. Soluble recombinant TsMIF, expressed in Escherichia coli showed secondary structure (by CD spectroscopy) and quaternary structure (by light-scattering and gel filtration) similar to that of the trimeric mammalian MIFs and D-dopachrome tautomerase. The catalytic specificity of recombinant TsMIF in the ketonization of phenylpyruvate (1.4x10(6) M(-1) x s(-1)) was comparable with that of human MIF, while that of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (9.1x10(4) M(-1) x s(-1)) was 71-fold lower. TsMIF showed high specificity in tautomerization of the methyl ester of L-dopachrome compared with non-esterified L-dopachrome (>87000-fold) and a high kcat (approximately 4x10(4) s(-1). The crystal structure, determined to 1.65 A (1 A=0.1 nm), was generally similar to that of human MIF, but differed in the boundaries of the putative active-site pocket, which can explain the low activity towards p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. The central pore was blocked, but was continuous, with the three putative tautomerase sites. Recombinant TsMIF (5 ng/ml-5 pg/ml) inhibited migration of human peripheral-blood mononuclear cells in a manner similar to that shown by human MIF, but had no effect from 5 to 500 ng/ml on anti-CD3-stimulated murine T-cell proliferation. TsMIF was detected in supernatants of T. spiralis larvae cultured in vitro at 6 ng/ml (55 ng/mg total secreted protein). In conclusion TsMIF has structural, catalytic and cell-migration-inhibitory properties which indicate that it is partially orthologous to mammalian MIF.

The surname of the fifth author (ROWE) was misspelled. It should read ROE. Activity and genomic organization of human glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), a novel member of the family of sugar-transport facilitators predominantly expressed in brain and leucocytes

Vaults are naturally occurring ovoid nanoparticles constructed from a protein shell that is composed of multiple copies of major vault protein (MVP). The vault-interacting domain of vault poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (INT) has been used as a shuttle to pack biomolecular cargo in the vault lumen. However, the interaction between INT and MVP is poorly understood. It is hypothesized that the release rate of biomolecular cargo from the vault lumen is related to the interaction between MVP and INT. To tune the release of molecular cargos from the vault nanoparticles, we determined the interactions between the isolated INT-interacting MVP domains (iMVP) and wild-type INT and compared them to two structurally modified INT: 15-amino acid deletion at the C terminus (INTΔC15) and histidine substituted at the interaction surface (INT/DSA/3 H) to impart a pH-sensitive response. The apparent affinity constants determined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor technology are 262 ± 4 nM for iMVP/INT, 1800 ± 160 nM for iMVP/INTΔC15 at pH 7.4. The INT/DSA/3 H exhibits stronger affinity to iMVP (K Dapp = 24 nM) and dissociates at a slower rate than wild-type INT at pH 6.0.